Window Coverings: How to Keep Kids Safe

Ikea announced this afternoon that they are recalling more than 3 million blinds after a child nearly strangled earlier this year. All Roman blinds and roll-up blinds sold at IKEA nationwide from 1998 through June 2009 for between $5 and $55 are included in the recall.

It's important to know that window shades and blinds pose potential hazards for children if cords ­— whether inner pull cords or pull cords in the front or the rear ­— become looped around a child's neck. Strangulations in Roman shades happen when a child places his or her neck between the fabric and the rear cord. In roll-up blinds, strangulations occur when a child's neck becomes entangled on the freestanding loop.

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Parents and anyone who has a home where children live or visit must examine all window coverings to make sure there are absolutely no accessible cords on the front, side, center, or rear of the product. Any shades or blinds with accessible cords should be replaced by cordless window coverings.

Here are other important safety tips to protect your child from the hazards posed by window coverings.

Do not place cribs, beds, and furniture in children's bedrooms or playrooms close to windows.

When shopping, look for cordless honeycomb shades; their inner cords are completely inaccessible, as fabric covers both the front and back sides of the cords. Another good choice: Roller shades that are lifted and lowered by pushing and pulling the bottom of the shade.

The Window Covering Safety Council, a coalition of major U.S. manufacturers, importers and retailers of window coverings, teamed up with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to offer a voluntary corrective action plan covering roman-style shades and roll-up blinds to prevent the potential hazard of strangulation to young children. They are offering free retrofit kits for Roman-style fabric looped and flat panel shades and roll-up blinds online.